Hold the phone on the Patrick Mahomes return buzz.
The Chiefs’ superstar quarterback, who tore his ACL last Dec. 14, has been working with the team all training camp and, by all accounts, has looked like his normal elite self.
Coach Andy Reid isn’t ready to anoint him starter just yet, though.
“He’s doing great,” Reid said, per the Kansas City Star. “We’ll just see. I’m literally taking it day by day. There are no predictions here on anything. But if the doctors and the trainers and everybody that are involved with this give him an OK — and then most of all, if he feels like he can, then we’ll address that when we get there. But other than that, these other guys are playing quarterback and doing a nice job with it.”
Those comments surely were heard by ex-Jets quarterback Justin Fields, who was traded by the team to the Chiefs as an insurance plan for Mahomes.
Fields has been operating as the Chiefs’ backup in camp but has been given some run in the two preseason games while Mahomes has yet to see live action this season.
With Mahomes not having played in a preseason game, Reid isn’t ready to name his former MVP and Super Bowl winner the Week 1 starter, when they will play host to the Broncos.
There’s still plenty of time to go until then, but it’s still noteworthy that Mahomes is not being named the Week 1 starter with 20 days to go until they play Denver on “Monday Night Football.”
Kansas City did not make the playoffs last season for the first time in Mahomes’ NFL career, as they made the playoffs for 10 straight years dating back to 2014.
